Sprogø
Encyclopedia
Sprogø is a small, protected Danish
island
, which is located in the Great Belt
, the strait
that separates the main islands of Funen
and Zealand. It lies about halfway across the strait, 6.7 km from the Zealand shore and 8 km from the Funen shore.
Today, the island forms part of the Great Belt fixed link
, and is connected to Funen by a road and rail bridge, and to Zealand by both a road suspension bridge
and twin rail tunnel
s. The island is crossed when using the link. During the construction, the island was drastically remodelled, with land reclamation
increasing its area from 38 to 154 hectares.
There are remains of buildings on the original part of Sprogø from the beginning of the 12th century, a fortress built under king Valdemar the Great
. During construction work, extensive archaeological
investigations were undertaken, and among other findings it was revealed that the first inhabitants arrived more than 8,000 years ago.
The island has no permanent population today, but is used by Sund og Bælt, the company that owns and operates the bridges. It is also a nature reserve
, and tours of the island are organised.
A darker part of the island's history are the years between 1923 and 1959, when the island was used for containment of women deemed pathologically promiscuous, the main concern being unwanted pregnancies. At the time it was considered a very humane approach, given the fact that they had previously been confined.
Sprogø was a station for the semaphore line across the Belt, Storebæltstelegrafen, between Nyborg
and Korsør
, in operation between 1801 and 1865.
The lighthouse, which can be seen in the picture, was built by the mail service in 1868, replacing an older structure from 1809. It was built on the foundations of the 12th century fortress.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
, which is located in the Great Belt
Great Belt
The Great Belt is a strait between the main Danish islands of Zealand and Funen . Effectively dividing Denmark in two, the Belt was served by the Great Belt ferries from the late 19th century until the islands were connected by the Great Belt Fixed Link in 1997–98.-Geography:The Great Belt is the...
, the strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
that separates the main islands of Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
and Zealand. It lies about halfway across the strait, 6.7 km from the Zealand shore and 8 km from the Funen shore.
Today, the island forms part of the Great Belt fixed link
Great Belt Fixed Link
The Great Belt Fixed Link is the fixed link between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen across the Great Belt. It consists of a road suspension bridge and railway tunnel between Zealand and the island Sprogø, as well as a box girder bridge between Sprogø and Funen...
, and is connected to Funen by a road and rail bridge, and to Zealand by both a road suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
and twin rail tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s. The island is crossed when using the link. During the construction, the island was drastically remodelled, with land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
increasing its area from 38 to 154 hectares.
There are remains of buildings on the original part of Sprogø from the beginning of the 12th century, a fortress built under king Valdemar the Great
Valdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I of Denmark , also known as Valdemar the Great, was King of Denmark from 1157 until 1182.-Biography:...
. During construction work, extensive archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
investigations were undertaken, and among other findings it was revealed that the first inhabitants arrived more than 8,000 years ago.
The island has no permanent population today, but is used by Sund og Bælt, the company that owns and operates the bridges. It is also a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
, and tours of the island are organised.
A darker part of the island's history are the years between 1923 and 1959, when the island was used for containment of women deemed pathologically promiscuous, the main concern being unwanted pregnancies. At the time it was considered a very humane approach, given the fact that they had previously been confined.
Sprogø was a station for the semaphore line across the Belt, Storebæltstelegrafen, between Nyborg
Nyborg
Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 16,492 . Nyborg is one of the 14 large municipalities created on 1 January 2007...
and Korsør
Korsør
Korsør is a Danish town and port. It is out on the Great Belt, on the Zealand side, just south of where the Great Belt Bridge lands. It was the site of the municipal council of Korsør municipality - today it is part of Slagelse municipality...
, in operation between 1801 and 1865.
The lighthouse, which can be seen in the picture, was built by the mail service in 1868, replacing an older structure from 1809. It was built on the foundations of the 12th century fortress.
External links
- Sund & Bælt Photo Archive: Sprogø island – construction photos including aerial shots of Sprogø in its original form (log in using the default username and password)
- Sprogø, -øen i midten – History of Sprogø; many images of the island
- Sprogø fyr – about Sprogø lighthouse; many photographs
- Sprogø - Stories from The Heritage Agency of Denmark